Obviously, when thinking of some of the changes our minds go through as we enter the late stages of our lives, we consider the loss of memory one of the primary issues we encounter. Is it possible to create a game that focuses on this? Aside from simple games of concentration, one might consider running a maze to be appropriately difficult, or having to memorize a matrix of enemies and their weaknesses. But assessed in this light, learning any sufficiently complex system can pose a challenge to one's memory. Perhaps it will be of more use to consider a different angle.

If the purpose of games for older people is to keep their mental acuity sharp by continually exercising it, perhaps a good tack to take is to involve their creativity. This can be accomplished through by the adventure game genre, where the player is presented with obstacles that require intuitive leaps and imaginative solutions. This genre has seen a resurgence in popularity with the release of the Sam and Max series by Telltale Games, along with their other titles, the Strong Bad series, the Wallace and Gromit game, and the continuation of the Monkey Island franchise. The issue with these games is that they can cause frustration when the solution doesn't present itself, even with a great deal of experimentation.

But if we're talking about creating new games specifically targeted at senior game players, rather than suggesting existing titles, what's the distinction between that type of game and any other title on the market? Perhaps video games, regardless of actual content, serve as good material for staving off the effects of advanced age. They force us to learn new rules, adapt to quickly changing circumstances, coordinate the hands with the mind, and present alternate viewpoints of reality. So there may not be any need for a seniors-relevant genre of game.

What about young adults? They take to video games readily, so it's not the mechanics we need to concern ourselves with. Rather, educational games at this age should focus on teaching concepts, like children's games do, but at a higher level of abstraction. Ethics, civic responsibility, politics, these are all worthwhile topics for games targeted toward teens. The difficulty lies in making these themes part of an enjoyable game. The Serious Games initiatives already provide this sort of content, but with respect to the game designers, in many cases the actual gameplay doesn't approach the action of games that lack such lofty ideas. With teens, the trick seems to almost be to sneak the education past them. Just as playing historically accurate World War 2 shooters can teach important dates and perhaps even battlefield tactics, the conceit can be expanded to include the political climate of the time, thus teaching some actual history.

So it looks as though educational games are for the young, and maybe there won't be a need for such games for older players. Time will tell if there is any sort of link between continued game play well into one's declining years and the onset of dementia, but if mental activity does prove enough to stave off encroaching senility, then perhaps we'll start to see video game prescriptions at our physician's office before too long. Child's Play, indeed.